Latest news with #LALIFF
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Bodies' Writer-Director Luca Bueno On Latino Representation And Showing The Humanity Within The Immigrant Experience
In the short film drama Bodies, written and directed by Luca Bueno, two LAPD officers respond to a disturbance call at a home located in a neighborhood that has a majority of immigrants and minorities. As the officers investigate the situation, Officer Alvarez (Alonso Garcia) notices cultural clues that suggest something larger is at play. As he grapples with his own Latino heritage and his duties as a law enforcement agent, he begins to reflect on humanity and empathy. Just before his short premieres at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Bueno talks to Deadline about the plight of immigrants and the importance of Latin representation. More from Deadline LALIFF Sets 2025 Film Festival Lineup With Gael García Bernal & Diego Luna-Produced Doc 'ASCO: Without Permission' To Open Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival Sets 2024 Lineup With 'In The Summers' To Open LALIFF Reveals 10 Afro/Black & Indigenous Recipients Of Inclusion Fellowship DEADLINE: What was the inspiration for the short? LUCA BUENO: I feel like, as filmmakers, we have the opportunity to tackle relevant topics, and the immigration topic and the immigration debate is something that I feel like was not only relevant but still is and will forever be as well. The last couple of months and years, we've been getting absolutely bombarded by headlines, numbers and really sensational headlines. And I was like, 'I want to tell a story about this topic, but that really shows the humanity behind it.' It was the people, the humans, the families behind the numbers, the headlines, the misinformation, the gotcha aspect of this whole migration conversation that compelled me to film this. DEADLINE: I was reading that you're a Brazilian-born person who moved to France and then ended up in the States. So, I'm curious: how do you relate to the subject matter? BUENO: I was born in Brazil. My family is full Brazilian to the T, and so very Latin and proud of that. I moved from Brazil to France and then to Monte Carlo when I was eight years old, and I moved back to Brazil when I was 14. And then, at 16, I moved here to the U.S. So, I've always been kind of the immigrant, the new guy, not only in the schools but also in the countries and cultures. We moved to France because of my dad's [Galvão Bueno] work and then back because of that. Then, I moved to the U.S. because I was super passionate about pursuing film. So, this thought of wanting to go somewhere in search of a better life, I completely get that. Even though I'm not in the situation of the people that I depict in the film, I can relate to the burning desire of moving somewhere in search of your dream and a better life for your family. DEADLINE: We chatted prior to the interview about you not liking horror films too much, but it's so funny because there's some horror-style shots in here. Talk about the intention of the way you filmed your short. BUENO: It's true that I'm not the hugest fan of horror, but most especially, gruesome horror. But I've known since I was about six years old that I wanted to be a director. So, I'm passionate about all films. My dad works in TV, my grandmother was an actress, and my grandfather was a director. So, I built those tools in my back pocket for every type of genre. This is a very serious and dark topic in the short. It's very scary. So, using those little horror techniques for directing, I think, worked for this. It's also a film about perspective. There's a little twist to it. And in adding this thriller element, I think it relates to how scary it is for people in that situation on both sides. DEADLINE: How did you find Alonso Garcia to play Officer Alvarez? BUENO: He's amazing. He's from Peru, so he's also Latin. It's funny, though, because I auditioned so many people, and he was, if I'm not mistaken, the first to submit or first three people to submit. And it was a three-month process of finding the protagonist, and he was one of the first. So, I was like, 'This guy's pretty good. He fits everything.' But I wasn't going to commit to an actor after a week of searching. So, I stretched things out. But then, in those months that followed, I was always thinking that no one was as good as him. It was something about the way he was able to express what he was feeling without using words. DEADLINE: Talk more about the lack of dialogue in the script because you do bring up a good point. You absolutely needed someone who could sell that. BUENO: It's about perspective. I feel like having that lack of dialogue, where you would expect there to be a lot of explanation, I leaned away from dialogue because I wanted it to be really noticeable that something was missing. If some people don't like that, that's fine. I wanted it to be really noticeable because it makes people start thinking about, 'Well, if there was dialogue, what would he have said? What would the antagonist, the American officer, have said?' Through that communication of looks, I really enjoy talking to people about how they filled in the lines [with silence and their emotions]. That feeling of did the antagonist let him go. Did he believe that Officer Alvarez didn't find anyone else in the house? There's ambiguity because finding these families [in hiding] never goes the same way. So, leaving an ambiguous ending makes it more universal. One of my inspirations is Denis Villeneuve, the film director of Arrival, Sicario, and Dune. He always says, 'Film has so much; it has image, it has sound, it has angles that kind of tell a feeling.' And so, sometimes, dialogue can be overused. And we have so much to fall back on in film because we have so much. And I kind of wanted to explore that to kind of work my muscles with that. DEADLINE: Let's talk about some scenes. There's symbolism in Officer Alvarez's necklace. He's wearing it openly, and then he hides it after the other officer mentions it. Then, when he comes across the family hiding in the closet, the younger girl has a bracelet that's similar. BUENO: So, the necklace he's wearing, it's something that is prominent in every Latin culture. It has a different name. In Brazil, we have a different name. In Peru, they have a different name. In Mexico, they have a different name, but it's the same. So, it's something that when you see someone wearing it or referencing it, you know. So, it's having him tuck it in, in the beginning, is him essentially putting his badge, professionalism, and duty in front of his culture. And it's him putting his duty in front of his humanity. As the film progresses, as he makes the choices he makes, he's proud of the choice he makes, and he brings the necklace back out and puts it in front of his badge. It's as if he's saying, now it's my culture and humanity in front of my duty. So, it was another way to verbalize that without needing to say anything. DEADLINE: Then there's the scene where he actually finds the family hiding in the closet. There's no words, but there's a lot of stares and reveals. There's a woman holding a fresh newborn baby and blood on the ground. Then you see the desperation on their faces. Unpack that. BUENO: Yeah. It builds out for us to think it's something quite terrible that maybe the guy's hiding, right? So, for sure, it goes from fear to what he might find to maybe a relief that no one's dead and everyone's alive. But then to, wow, I've never encountered something like this before. What am I going to do? What's going to happen to me? The bracelet that the girl is wearing then connects him with them. It's a lot. You're so right. So, what we did is we stitched a lot of different takes together. So, when you find something like that for context, the family in the closet hiding, the homeowner was housing them, and she has given birth, as you said. If you were to open that closet, you wouldn't have one reaction. So many things would go through your head. And so, I was like, 'Let's do many takes. Give me a lot of options, and then we will intercut with the family and when we come back to you. You'll go through the rollercoaster.' So, we made sure to have a lot of different emotions going through his head and a lot of different takes stitched together. [This interview has been edited for length and clarity.] Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Diego Boneta Wanted His First Novel to be a Steamy, Sexy Summer Read
Mexican actor Diego Boneta attends the 2022 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) closing night screening of "Father Of The Bride" at the TCL Chinese Theatre on June 5, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Mexican actor Diego Boneta attends the 2022 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) closing night screening of "Father Of The Bride" at the TCL Chinese Theatre on June 5, 2022 in Hollywood, California. VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty "It was one page at a time, like one day at a time." Diego Boneta knew he wanted to write a sexy, steamy murder mystery for his first novel. "And I also really wanted it to be a novel that was a great summer read." That's exactly what he's done with The Undoing of Alejandro Velasco. Set in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the story follows a mysterious young man, Julian Villareal, who arrives at the estate of his friend and tennis rival, Alejandro Velasco, after his sudden death. "You think he's this super rich kid from Mexico City, who's studying at UCLA, and then you slowly start realizing that he's not who he says he is." The book is also being adapted by Amazon MGM Studios as an original series. "It's my first time doing this, where it's acting out a character that I wrote in a novel." But for Boneta, whose father was a "national [tennis] champion in Mexico [and] played Wimbledon," he's more than prepared to play Julian. "Julian is something that I already have in my DNA, because we've been working on this for so long now, I just want to make sure that it's the best version of the show that it can be for audiences to be entertained." SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARTING SHOT WITH H. ALAN SCOTT ON APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY AND WATCH ON YOUTUBE Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication. Where did the story come from? I've been obsessed with [The] Talented Mr. Ripley. I love that movie and the book. Let me backtrack a bit, ever since I worked with Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages in 2012, he really instilled the don't just be an actor—direct, write, produce, and it really stuck with me. And for many years, I was like, "I want to be able to produce and have my own production company." We spent a lot of time [together] when we shot that movie, and I would see him in calls for a movie that he just shot that's on post, then shooting Rock of Ages, and then taking meetings for his next project. I was like, "Man, that's the dream." Cut to 2017, I produced my first project that I started, and I executive produced a show called Luis Miguel, based on [the] singer. And no one thought it was going to be as big as it was. We were all super excited about the idea, but we knew it was a big risk, and it really, really worked and it kind of started my producing career as well. Shortly after, I starred in my first Mexican film directed by Michel Franco [New Order], and Michel was like, "Diego, I saw you produce, Luis Miguel, do you want to produce New Order with me?" I was like, "Dude, it would be a dream for me, as long as it's not a vanity credit. I really want to get to learn." We did that together, and it won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2020. Throughout COVID, I started with my manager and partner, Josh Glick, just packaging ideas, our dream writers, directors, and selling them across the board at the Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Sony, and it really came in a very organic, natural way. I was like, it took five years to be able to materialize that dream to produce. And Amazon comes to us and goes—because we sold two projects to Amazon—and says, "We want to do an overall with your production company, Three Amigos." And that was when we both realized, okay, this is serious. It's a three-year deal. We have to do four projects in three years. It's not just us running around like idiots, like this is actually serious. And Josh goes, "Dude, we should have your sister run the production company with us." I was like, "Natalia?" She's in Wall Street, like she's really a sergeant. She's been working in the corporate world, trading derivatives for three years now. She's the perfect person for the job. And I spoke to Natalia, and she was in. She really helped streamline everything. And when she first came on board, I was like, "Natalia, I think I'm ready to write my first screenplay." And she was like, "Nope, it's not going to be a script. It's going to be a book." And I was like, "What are you talking about?" She's like, "Yeah, we're going to write a novel. We're in Amazon publishing, and simultaneously we're going to tell Amazon Studios, and we're going to develop the limited series for the book." Like, that's why you're my boss. That's why you're here, That's why she worked on Wall Street. She has the brain. And we started working on the book, and we both knew that it had to come from something extremely personal. This is my first novel. So, I absolutely love tennis. My dad was national champion in Mexico [and] played Wimbledon. So it's something that's been a part of my life since I was a kid. I love Talented Mr. Ripley, and love that genre of movies. And the first thing was, normally in these con man movies,Talented Mr. Ripley or Saltburn, it's always kind of like the weird guy con man. The quiet guy. I was like, "What if in our version, it's actually the Jude Law part, instead of the quiet dude?" It's like the outgoing, bon vivant, worldly guy who then you go, "Wait, this guy's not that." So that was the first idea. And then Match Point, as far as how they integrated tennis, just having it be truly a part of the story, metaphorically, and having it be woven into the story. And for two years we just went at it, and now it's like crazy because few things make me more anxious than a blank page. I was like, "What? We're gonna write a novel? How the hell are we gonna do this?" It was one page at a time, like one day at a time. I was talking to different friends of mine—writers, screenwriters and novelists, and they're like, "Dude, you have to make sure that the foundation is solid. Really spend a lot of time on the structure, the outline, the characters." And it's counterintuitive, because you'll be like, "Oh, we've been doing this for a year, but we haven't started writing a chapter." But if you have that solid, the book will write itself. It was an amazing piece of advice, because I would have done the complete opposite. That advice was really game changing. And such an incredible thing to be able to do with my sister, and with Josh. That's why the company is called Three Amigos. I couldn't be more excited. You know, you hear that in Hollywood about Tom Cruise, how instrumental he is to so many in the industry, because of that type of advice. I can't even begin to tell you how much I've learned from Tom. Rock of Ages was my first movie ever where I got to play the lead. And Tom really mentored me throughout the whole thing and even now, when we got the overall deal I texted, I was like, "Tom, I just have to tell you this, because it's thanks to you, man." Because it's the work ethic, but it's also the passion, you know, he is so passionate about what he does to such a degree that he's willing to do whatever it takes to entertain his audience. And seeing that from someone who's been working in the business for what? Four decades? Seeing that passion, seeing him on set, was like seeing a kid going to Disneyland for the first time in their life. The book is very cinematic. As you're writing it, because of your work as an actor, is the visual front and center? One thousand percent. It's all based in San Miguel de Allende, which is a magical town. It's like the Florence of Mexico. It's just an unbelievable place. And it was so important for me, to me, for San Miguel to be a character in the story, so that as you're reading it, all those visuals, even for people who've never heard of this place, or who've been so they can really feel like they're there when they're reading it. And have it be a character in the story, because that backdrop is so important to understanding the family dynamics in Mexican society and culture. It's very informative on a visual level, but also on a cultural level. Because you're writing this novel and then later adapting it into a script, is it tough to cut out stuff? Because you can describe so much more in a book. Yes. Someone who really gave me a great piece of advice for this, he's my favorite filmmaker, he's a genius, we've become friends, is Alfonso Cuarón. Cuarón just did Disclaimer, and he adapted it from a book. He was like, "Each format is different, and it's impossible to try to mirror the book into a TV show. Just make sure that it's the best version of each." There's going to be things that, like with Disclaimer, he took creative liberties because he thought that was what was best for the TV show. And that was another amazing piece of advice. Because at first, I was very like, we have to make sure it's this, and I don't think that's the right approach. We have Oliver Goldstick, who's showrunning this with us, and he has amazing ideas. And it's a different format, let's make it its best version for each format. That's also very liberating, because you can take some creative freedoms. Having spent so much time with this character, do you approach preparing to act as him differently? It's my first time doing this, where it's acting out a character that I wrote in a novel. So it's been interesting, because we've been developing both simultaneously, and then the writer strike happened, and we had to put the show on pause and continue with the novel. And now that we're back to the show, it's fun because I know Julian very, very well, right? But I'm honestly really focused on Sophia, because I think that character is so important, and something that I think my sister was able to really nail is making sure that the Sophia role is a layered character. And it's such an important character to the story, and we want her to be super smart and cunning and manipulative, and making it truly a three-dimensional character. So it's funny, because I don't see it so much as what's best for Julian, I see it as what's best for the show, and I think that's something that has been one of the coolest things about producing now for some years, is that you really get to see things as a collaborative effort. And ultimately, yes, I'll do all the prep as an actor, and I'll go to my acting coach in Madrid, who's a freaking genius, Juan Carlos Corazza, and I'll do all the work as an actor. But then when I'm on set, and it's something that we're producing, you have to be able to separate that and have the acting cap on and be like, "Okay, this is what I'm doing for the scene." And then when you're doing a production meeting, once you wrap the day, putting on the producer cap, and seeing it as what is best for this movie, what is best for this show, what is best for right now, I'd say that that's what I'm really most focused on with Amazon, how do we make this show unique, different, compelling, entertaining, and keep the all those twists and really show that different side of Mexico that's not really been shown before. Like a bunch of Mexican stories are either drug-related or border-crossing stories. Mexico has so much more to offer, and these are stories that haven't been told and haven't been seen. That's what I'm really focused on. I think that Julian is something that I already have in my DNA, because we've been working on this for so long now, I just want to make sure that it's the best version of the show that it can be for audiences to be entertained. What is it about Julian that you're that you're drawn to? I am drawn to multi-layered characters who may say something in the dialogue, but there's really something else underneath. And I really love how it's unraveled throughout, how he comes to the Velasco household. You think he's this super-rich kid from Mexico City, who's studying at UCLA, and then you slowly start realizing that he's not who he says he is, and his story and his background, he's truly a chameleon. I love that, because it's so much fun to be able to play that and to see it unfold, in small dosages, as you start going to flashbacks, and you see Eduardo there and Julian and Alejandro. And also, I love how it's always show me, don't tell me. And I love how you get to see who he really is from the get-go, and how he plays tennis, from the first time you see that he may not have the best technique, he maybe didn't go to these super fancy schools, he's someone who's not super polished. So you see that in his tennis game, but in his scenes, he's saying something totally different. And that to me, as an audience tells me, wait a second, there's something here. I'm not sure I know exactly what it is, but having the arc of where he starts and where he ends, with Sophia, he's met his match. And she brings out who he really is. I wish I could say more, but I don't want to give out more. What is kind of exciting about reading the book is that you know it's being adapted, so you can start to have very clear visuals of what it's going to look like, who the characters are... I think that's a very cool and cinematic way of shooting that while something else is going on. There's the sexiness, there's the steaminess, right? There's this murder mystery, sexual thriller. And I also really wanted it to be a novel that was a great summer read. After reading this, I just know fans are going to want more books. Are you prepared for that? Listen, I think there's a lot more story to unfold. Would I be down? Absolutely. I think that right now it's promoting the book, making the show, and then listen, if it's time for another book, that's a happy problem, we'll freaking make it work. And I do think that there's more to it and not only more, but the whole Sophia and Julian dynamic could go in a very interesting direction. It's all about it not being predictable, being full of twists, so that as you're reading it, you're just like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And you're also seeing it at the same time. And knowing the actors in the project I think only makes future books successful. We've seen this with so many franchises. One thing that I'll say as an actor, to me, it's really all about the characters. If you really develop a character that is multi-dimensional, layered and very specific, that is so important to how the story unravels.
Los Angeles Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The L.A. Latino International Film Festival announces its 2025 lineup
The Latino Film Institute has announced the lineup for its 24th annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF). Between May 28 and June 1, LALIFF will screen more than 90 films at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Attendees can expect a wide selection of features, shorts, episodic works, animation, panels and masterclasses. This year will place an added emphasis on the power of art: a theme that feels more timely than ever before for the festival coordinators. 'This is such a hard time,' says Diana Cadavid, LALIFF's director of industry programs, regarding the tensions of today's political and economic climate. 'Many in our community feel threatened by the level of instability we're facing, we want to make sure we continue to celebrate what makes us very powerful.' LALIFF was founded in 1997 by Edward James Olmos, Marlene Dermer, Kirk Whisler and George Hernandez with the goal of uplifting emerging Latino filmmakers. Since then, it has debuted films by Academy Award-winning directors, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Pablo Larraín. As of last October, LALIFF was officially recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Oscar Qualifying Festival, which means that this year's winners in the Best U.S. Latino Live Action Short and U.S. Latino Animated Short categories would be subsequently eligible for consideration at the 98th Academy Awards. 'The festival continues with that same goal of being this platform for Latino cinema, now with a bigger focus on U.S. Latinos,' says Cadavid, who notes that roughly half the lineup is comprised of U.S. filmmakers. The program will kick off with a screening of 'ASCO: Without Permission,' a documentary about the L.A. teen collective whose avant-garde methods pushed the boundaries of Chicano performance art in the '70s and '80s. Under the executive production of Mexican actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, the film was written and directed by Travis Gutiérrez Senger and recently premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in March. 'I really love the way in which ['ASCO: Without Permission'] brings back the historical work that ASCO did,' said Cadavid. 'That's why we chose it as our opening film, [because] it encompasses precisely that vision that we have for this year's festival.' LALIFF will conclude its itinerary with a showing of another L.A. based film titled 'Serious People.' Co-written and co-directed by Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It stars Gutierrez as a successful music video director, who hires a look-alike to take his place while he prepares for fatherhood. This decision ripples into a series of unexpected events that reflect the growing asymmetry of work-life balance in the States. '['Serious People'] is very connected to art and to culture, to artistic movements,' says Cadavid. 'It's also fun and very L.A., so for us it was very important to give a lot of visibility to the talent in the city.' This year also marks the return of LALIFF Eastside programming at the Regal L.A. Live in DTLA, which aims to highlight Los Angeles stories. Included in the lineup is Yelyna De León's '20 Pounds to Happiness,' a romantic comedy written by 'Real Women Have Curves' creator Josefina López; Yolanda Cruz's 'La Raya,' an Oaxacan coming-of-age story, plus her short film '40+,' about a divorced Los Angeles court translator; Aot Rivera's 'Los Angeles Canvas,' which explores city murals, as well as Kase Peña's 'Trans Los Angeles,' which features four different trans women in different L.A. neighborhoods. ' It's not that easy to come all the way to Hollywood to enjoy the festival,' says Cadavid. 'We wanted to be able to expand to a satellite festival where people can still go and enjoy the films.' In line with LALIFF's mission to spotlight rising filmmakers, they will also showcase the work by participants in the LFI Inclusion Fellowship and LFI Spark Animation Fellowship. This includes 10 live action films and three animation films that are shown across two different screenings at the Egyptian Theatre. The LALIFF lineup includes titles that have graced major international film festivals. From Sundance: 'Rains Over Babel' by Gala del Sol and 'Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, Dile que no Soy Malo)' by Joel Alfonso Vargas, which won the NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast. From SXSW: '42nd Street' by Jose Maria Cabral; 'Uvalde Mom' by Anayansi Prado and 'American Sons' by Andrew James Gonzales. From the Toronto International Film Festival: 'Beloved Tropic' by Ana Endara, 'Linda' by Mariana Wainstein, 'Carnival Is Over' by Fernando Coimbra and 'The Freedom of Fierro' by Santiago Esteinou. From the Málaga Film Festival: 'Stay Still' by Joanna Lombardi. Miami Film Festival: 'Espina' by Daniel Poler. From DOC NYC, 'Isla Familia' by Abraham Jiménez Enoa and Claudia Calviño. Also being featured is 'Shaman,' a film by Antonio Negret, which first aired at the inaugural LALIFF Film Market and later secured distribution. ' There's [a showing] for everybody, you don't necessarily need to be Latino to come and connect with our industry,' says Cadavid. To view the full list of films and purchase passes, visit the festival's official website.
